Newsham Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Newsham Park Liverpool England is a 120 acre (490,000 m²) Victorian era park. It opened in 1868. To the east is the Canada Dock branch, to the north West Derby Road.

[edit] History

Newsham Park is part of a set of Victorian public parks within Liverpool, including Stanley Park, Walton Hall Park, Princes Park and the largest of the group, Sefton Park.

The park is built on land purchased by the Liverpool Corporation from the Molyneux Estate. The development of the park was funded by the sale of plots for the construction of housing. Consequently the park is fringed by Victorian housing and the area has been awarded Conservation Area status, a legal protection against development to protect and preserve the Victorian architecture.

Newsham Park is the first individual work of the famous landscape architect Edward Kemp, an understudy of Joseph Paxton who was responsible for the magnificent grounds at Chatsworth House and the design of Birkenhead Park, a city park that became a working model for the creation of Manhattan's Central Park. As a result of this historic connection, as well as the park's intrinsic natural beauty, it has been awarded Grade II listed status.

The park contains two large lakes, with one dedicated to the sailing of model boats and the other larger lake playing host historically to rowing boats for hire to the general public. As has been the trend in Liverpool, the rowing boats are sadly no longer present.

[edit] Buildings

The park also plays host to several impressive buildings, including the Grade II listed Seaman's Orphanage - a building later converted to a hospital and in 2005 currently open to development as luxury apartments. Another magnificent building within the park is Newsham House, which until recently was the residence for Judges attending Liverpool Crown court and has in the past been visited by Queen Victoria.

In 2004 work commenced on the Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, a secondary school (11-16) under the UK Government's City Academy programme. The school is a modern four storey building at the western end of the park, and its contemporary style caused some friction with local residents who felt that it was at odds with the park's Conservation Area status.

Stanley railway station was located in the south east corner and Tue Brook railway station to the north west.